


a place at your side

by Jerevinan



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Caring, Domestic Bliss, Established Relationship, Fluff, Husbands, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-12-08 22:31:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11656038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jerevinan/pseuds/Jerevinan
Summary: What starts as Noctis trying to take care of his overworked husband turns out as proof the two are always better as a team.[For ignoctweek, prompt: taking care of each other]





	a place at your side

**Author's Note:**

> Happy ignoctweek! 
> 
> Note that Ignis and Noctis are in their mid-40s. This was my third attempt at a story under this prompt. (I tried to do both, but my attempt for the other prompt failed miserably.)
> 
> Note that Noctis does cook at first in this one, but that's not relevant to tomorrow's prompt. ^^

Ignis memorizes every date Noctis does something special for him. 

Beyond more relevant events like anniversaries, he can recall the exact day Noctis picked him a flower from the Citadel gardens and grasped it in his little hand until the stem bled and dyed his fingers green. He’ll never forget when Noctis attempted to crochet him a scarf for his birthday—a project that lasted one week in January and ended in an obscene yarn tangle. Ignis would have worn it adoringly anyway, if Noctis hadn’t thrown it out with the rubbish. Instead, he gave Ignis a bag of awful chocolate chip cookies that tasted too strong of baking powder, and Ignis ate every single one.

Noctis has always been full of surprises over the past forty years they’ve known one another.

Ignis will remember today with as much fondness as he does the others.

It isn’t an anniversary, not even one of the insignificant ones, but Ignis steps into their eerily spotless home and sees Noctis behind the counter, fixing dinner.

Ignis might have choked down chalky cookies when Noctis was a child, but he is not going to do that as an adult.

“Noctis, let me take over,” he says, reaching out for the spoon. It slides out of Noctis’ grip with ease.

“You’re not supposed to be home yet. I was going to surprise you…” Noctis taps the pages of a cookbook open on the countertop.

Noctis is wearing an apron. His hair is tied back lazily, but somehow in its dishevelment, it’s an attractive look.

They’re both getting older now, but Noctis only seems to get more attractive with age. He’s even kind of adorable when he’s trying so hard to do things he was never meant to touch. _Like Ignis’ entire kitchen._

“Are you following it word for word?” asks Ignis, who nearly hurts his arm trying to stir the suspicious matter in the pot.

“I added more meat in place of vegetables.” That explains the congealed film forming over the…

“Is this chili?” Ignis stretches out to read the cookbook. “Stew? Noctis, you realize stew is supposed to have vegetables?”

“Once you take those out, it looks kind of easy.”

“It _looks_ inedible,” says Ignis. He drops the spoon in the pot and removes it from heat. “Turn that burner off,” he calls back as he lowers the cookware into the sink. At least the pot doesn’t look like it has taken any permanent damage.

He reaches around and grasps one of the ties on the apron Noctis wears, pulling it.

“Ignis, I wanted to do something nice for you,” says Noctis, frowning.

“Give me back my apron. I’ll cook, you set the table, and we’ll have an edible dinner. Isn’t that nice enough?”

“I had a whole evening planned.”

Ignis raises an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Sometimes we’re busy, and when we see each other, it’s related to work. So I wanted to make us dinner, and then we could go to the movies. After that, we’ll lounge in bed the rest of the evening. But I didn’t think you’d be home for another half hour…”

“It’s a good thing I am early,” says Ignis. “I like the sound of everything but that disaster of a meal.”

“It wasn’t that bad…”

“Did you cook the roast in the crockpot before you added it to the stew, Noct?”

Noctis doesn’t look him in the eye.

“Was I supposed to?”

That _definitely_ explains the state of the stew.

Ignis puts a gentle hand on his husband’s shoulder and steers him toward the dining room. “Please make the table. I’ll whip up a pizza. It’s fast enough to give me time to shower and make it to the movie, I believe.”

“Pizza!” Noctis sounds almost twenty years younger with the jubilance in which he shouts the word. “Thanks, Specs.” He reaches up and kisses Ignis on the cheek before they part to perform their tasks.

Ignis doesn’t think he can salvage anything in the pot, so he lets it cool while he makes the dough and forms it into a crust. He has some sauce leftover in the fridge, along with cheese and basil. Once it’s in the oven, he focuses on the dishes.

There’s a lot of sludge at the bottom of the pot, but Ignis manages to scrub it off after he disposes of the majority of the failed dish. Once the dishes are in the drainer and the cabinets are wiped down, there is only a minute left on the time before the pizza comes out. The smell is fresh and drowns out the stench of overcooked stew. Ignis sighs contentedly when he opens the oven and the scent of pizza wafts out.

Noctis grins when Ignis brings it to the table. He looks fifteen years younger for a minute. He has already poured wine for them, a bottle from his family’s collection. It is one of Ignis’ favorites and has a rich, woody flavor.

“I haven’t had your pizza in ages,” says Noctis, snatching a slice. He leans back in his chair as he takes a bite, moaning out his appreciation. “This is the _best_ , Ignis. I’m actually glad my dinner didn’t turn out.”

“Next time, instead of wasting ingredients, you could ask me to make pizza.” Ignis smirks.

“But I wanted to surprise you!”

“There are some surprises I’d rather not see, like whatever surprise stew you concocted.”

“I’ll do better next time.”

“There won’t be a next time. You’re banned from my kitchen.” Ignis chuckles at his husband’s pout. “Come now, you’re too old to sulk at me.”

“But it works on you ever time.”

“I daresay it has for forty years.”

Noctis’ scrunches up his nose and snatches up another slice of pizza. “We’re getting _old_ , Ignis.”

“I don’t feel old. Maybe it’s because I’m with you.”

“Mind if I join you in the bath after dinner?” Noctis tries to pull a seductive face as he holds his wine glass in front of him, but it only makes them both laugh.

“You never were skilled at the art of seduction,” teases Ignis. “Yes, you may join me for a bath.”

~*~

Ignis is glad he accepts Noctis’ request. His husband rubs out all the aches in his feet. Ignis leans his head back and moans. He hasn’t felt this relaxed in weeks. Sometimes Noctis knows exactly what’s best for both of them.

“I never want to leave this bath,” says Ignis. The temperature of the water is perfect for his sore muscles.

“We could always skip our movie and go straight to bed after.” Noctis’ tone does not suggest anything sensual. Perhaps he’s too tired for any lovemaking. 

Ignis’ suspicions are confirmed a minute later when Noctis tries to hide a yawn by covering it with his elbow.

“I say we stay in and make a quiet evening of it,” says Ignis. “We can go to a movie later this week.” 

Noctis smiles appreciatively.

Ignis would never say this to Noctis, but he has never been a fan of theatres—they’re always noisy and crowded, with people kicking the backs of the seats and the scent of buttered popcorn thick in the air. But for Noctis, he’ll go sometimes.

For Noctis, he will do almost anything.

~*~

There is something to be said for large, comfortable beds. Ignis never wants to leave his—Noctis is curled against is side, and the two of them are playing a cute video game on two different handheld systems. They have a stack of soft pillows between their backs and the headboard.

Ignis loves this particular game. Noctis made fun of him for choosing to be a cook at the start of the game, but now he has mastered all his classes while Noctis still plays as the paladin he started with. 

They are conquering a dungeon together. Ignis prefers this to some of the other games, because he can work in coordination with Noctis, all while they’re cuddling on the bed.

Noctis groans as one of the enemies tries to assault one of their bounties. “No!” he shouts.

Ignis dives in and grabs it in time before the creature can fully destroy it.

“Thanks, Ignis.”

“You’re welcome.” Ignis kisses the top of Noctis’ head before turning back to his game.

“Even in games, you always have my back.”

“Of course. I have to pay for my foot massages some way.”

Noctis laughs and elbows Ignis lightly in the ribcage. “Okay, time to get this to the clerk.” He snatches up the bounty of the monster they have defeated. “Should I take both?”

“One each.”

“All right.”

They barely make it to the clerk when Noctis’ character pauses. A few minutes later, Ignis hears steady breathing beside him, and the handheld system slips out of Noctis’ fingers.

Ignis chuckles and scoops it up. He finishes turning in their bounties, has his character depart Noctis’ game, and saves for both of them. As he’s turning off the systems, he carefully scoots away from his husband, using pillows as replacements for his body so Noctis doesn’t fall over and wake up. 

Noctis doesn’t stir.

Once the systems are plugged in, Ignis uses his free hands to attempt to adjust Noctis onto the bed. At one point, Noctis sleepily bats him away, but decades of practice make each whap easy to dodge. 

Taking care of Noctis has its perks, though. Just as Ignis finishes covering him up, Noctis reaches up and kisses him on the lips.

“Goodnight, Specs,” he mutters half-asleep.

“Goodnight, Noct.”

**Author's Note:**

> I thought I'd admit the game they play at the end is Fantasy Life, which is one of my fave handheld games~


End file.
